And, Surfer Blood and the Babies have been added to the Wavves/Guided By Voices Nothside Festival show happening in McCarren Park on June 18th. Tickets are still on sale. Doors for that show are at 3pm, The Babies play at 4, Surfer Blood play at 5, Wavves at 6, and then GBV at 7.

The second annual Hopscotch Festival will go down in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, across 12 different venues with over 135 bands, from September 8th through 10th. The lineup this year runs the gamut of independent music... from traditional indie staples (The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk) to southern-inflected rock (Drive-By Truckers) to noise (Prurient) to hip hop (Beans) to garage (Jeff The Brotherhood) to funk (Budos Band) to metal (Krallice), and everywhere in between (Swans, Rhys Chatham, etc etc). Tickets are currently on sale. Full lineup is below.

"As previously announced, the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival will be taking place on Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th at Chicago's Union Park! Tickets went on sale on March 4th, and, as predicted, three-day passes sold out in a record time of 24 hours! That said, eager prospective festival goers should fear not, as single-day passes are still available for the totally reasonable price of $45.

And now, without further ado, the newest additions to the 2011 Pitchfork Festival lineup! Friday will see the addition of Guided By Voices and Neko Case; Saturday's lineup will feature No Age, Gang Gang Dance, G-Side, and Chrissy Murderbot; Sunday's stellar lineup now includes The Fresh & Onlys, Radio Dept., HEALTH, Shabazz Palaces, Baths, How To Dress Well, Kurt Vile, and Twin Sister. Stay tuned for more bands still to be announced in the coming weeks!"

Guided by Voices are also playing the sold out Sasquatch Fest. Full Pitchfork lineup by day below...

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

I'm starting to think Bob Pollard is some sort of miracle of modern science; a man capable of extreme alcohol/tobacco consumption, yet somehow able to give a flawless vocal performance. "Anybody got a joint?" Pollard asked a few songs in (someone from the crowd did in fact pass him one). The 53 year-old singer was swigging off a bottle of tequila most of the night and was practically incoherent between songs, but was shockingly able to hit every note and land every high kick on his own two feet. All this in a nearly three-hour New Year's Eve set from his band Guided by Voices that stretched past 1AM at Irving Plaza.

Former Cobra Verde and Guided By Voices guitarist Doug Gillard opened the show with full band in tow. Gillard's backup group held their own with a great set of songs that I'm certain any GBV fan could appreciate. Nada Surf's Matthew Caws made a special appearance for one song, but the real highlight of the set came aftger Gillard subtly suggested someone else join him on stage for their last song. Of course, this was the cue for Pollard to sing the post-classic lineup song "I Am A Tree" (which Gillard wrote), and halfway through the song, Pollard did just that. I don't think I was alone in hoping/predicting this would happen as soon as it was announced Doug Gillard was opening this show, and I was ecstatic when it did.

When I saw Guided By Voices at Terminal 5 back in November, I was impressed by how tight they sounded, especially considering how ridiculously lo-fi the recordings of these songs in particular are. This performance was no different. And much like that show, Tobin Sprout was again given the spotlight to sing three of GBV's most classic songs penned by the guitarist: "A Good Flying Bird", "Awful Bliss" and "14 Cheerleader Coldfront". There's something about this lineup that just seems so right. Forget that these songs are among Guided By Voices' most memorable and popular throughout their prolific catalog, the five of them seem to have great admiration for each other. The crowd was a different story. I witnessed two scuffles break out on the floor during the set and before GBV came out there was one fan vocally upset that his girlfriend was talking to a group of guys ten feet ahead of him. I guess this is what happens when emotions and champagne run high...

But leave it to a band like Guided By Voices to play a New Year's Eve show and totally miss the countdown at midnight. Despite several warnings that they were going to stop at midnight, it became apparent towards the end of "Exit Flagger" that, yeah, it was now 2011. It was definitely funny, but something tells me there were a few people who were a little confused. Either way, the band played for over another hour, returning for three encores (48 songs total), and ending with the appropriate "Don't Stop Now". Hopefully if you're a GBV fan you made it out to one of these New York-area shows, but something tells me this is not the last we'll see of this lineup.

They also played Maxwell's in Hoboken one night earlier. Both setlists and more pictures from the NYC show, below...

As people have theorized in the comments many times, the reunited classic lineup of Guided By Voices will play a show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, the NJ venue they've played many times, and it will happen on Thursday, December 30th, one day before they play a New Years Eve show at Irving Plaza. Tickets are $75 and on sale at noon.

I have a friend who, despite my attempts to proselytize, doesn't much care for the songs from Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. He thinks they're catchy, sure - only a hopeless misanthrope or a space alien wouldn't - but he doesn't like the feel of those lo-fi songs: recored on four-track and cut up and reassembled, swathed in abrasive sound.

I've tried to tell him that in concert, those transistor-radio mini anthems, drawing on Pollard's "four P's" (pop, punk, prog, and psych), are utterly transformed into pure, pummeling, lung-busting ROCK. They are writ large and loud with beer-fueled bombast.

And so it was: 840 people pumped fists and held lighters aloft, shouting along in unison to the Beatle-esque "Echos Myron," the leering "Hot Freaks," the light-speed "Shocker in Gloomtown," the snotty call-and-response of "Lethargy," the euphoric "Gold Star for Robot Boy." -[The Phoenix]

The above review refers to Guided By Voices' November 5th Boston show but, but these pictures come from the NYC show that took place at Terminal 5 two days later. A review, setlist, video and 177 comments as of this posting, are HERE. The pictures and a few more videos, below...

Well that was certainly a show I'll never forget. As any hardcore Guided By Voices fan will tell you, the short period from 1993-96 when Robert Pollard's long-running titular band released Propeller, Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes and Under The Bushes, Under The Stars is regarded as their shining moment. So an entire tour revolving around those albums, classic lineup intact, is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Needless to say, everyone at Terminal 5 last night was ecstatic.

Sub Pop's Blitzen Trapper opened the show at 8pm with their set of twangy indie folk-rock. The six-member Portland, Oregon based group sounded as happy to be there as anyone, noting that their tour with GBV has been amazing, and they were clearly a well-rehearsed and talented act. Playing to an already packed crowd of anxious fans may not get you an uproarious response, but the band kept it short and was finished by 8:35pm. And so the GBV chanting began...

Pollard and co. kept us waiting until 9:20pm, when suddenly all the lights went out and a collage of random talk-radio recordings went on for what seemed forever, sometimes repeating "guided by voices", which incited mass cheering. At long last, the neon sign stating "The Club Is Open" lit up and the cigarette-toking, tequila and beer-swilling Guided By Voices took the stage.

The band wasted no time hitting the classics, opening with "Tractor Rape Chain", "Game of Pricks" and "I Am A Scientist". But let's face it, all of their songs are classics. The vibrant crowd sang along throughout most of the performance, quite a few singing along to every lyric of every track. And let me say that if you haven't sung "A Salty Salute" along with 3,000 other Guided By Voices fans, it's pretty fucking fun. Guitarist Mitch Mitchell was never without a lit cigarette in his mouth, and bassist Greg Demos made motions like the rock stars they arguably never actually were. Hearing Kevin Fennell's drums in such fidelity, especially on songs like "My Valuable Hunting Knife" and "A Good Flying Bird" where full drums were missing from the lo-fi recordings, breathed new life into the band's prolific catalog.

Notable mention must also go to Tobin Sprout, whose contribution to this material has always been highly regarded. His and Pollard's vocal harmonies on "Awful Bliss" and "14 Cheerleader Coldfront" were absolutely pitch-perfect, even more reminiscent of Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey than ever before. Pollard's microphone twirling and high kicks do even more to perpetuate the comparison to the Who, and I've personally always thought of GBV as the band the Who could've been had they recorded solely on 4-track cassette and not achieved such success. But I digress. It really was great to see Sprout back on stage with this band.

As Pollard chugged from his bottle of tequila throughout the night, coming back for three encores, he never once sounded off key or tired, or hell, even intoxicated, despite practically being carried off the stage at the end. Would I have liked to have heard later songs like "I Am A Tree" or "Glad Girls"? Maybe. But that's not what this tour is about. In Pollard's own words towards the end of the show, after Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, "everything sort of went downhill." Though that is debatable (didn't Bob once say that GBV hadn't even peaked yet around 2003?), one thing is clear: the band that played last night is without a doubt the definitive Guided By Voices. And if you're questioning whether it's worth trying to get into to the New Year's Eve show at Irving Plaza, all I can say is that if last night was any indication, you are really missing out if you don't.

We just learned that fans must be 21 years or older to attend this event, valid photo ID required at the gate:

Guided by Voices
Irving Plaza
Friday, December 31 with doors opening at 8PM

If you're 21 years or older no worries, your original tickets are still good. If not, we'll gladly give you a refund. We'll refund your order, including fees (except UPS and InStore Pick Up, if applicable).

Need a refund? We'll refund your order, including fees (except UPS and InStore Pick Up, if applicable). Just hit reply to this email by December 1st by 5PM, include the last four digits of the credit card used for purchase, the order number, and the name on the account, and we'll take care of it for you! We'll refund your order immediately, but please note that it can take about 7 - 10 business days to post to your account.
Questions? Just hit reply and ask us or visit Ticketmaster.com!

I can't tell you how many times I asked people "when is Guided by Voices going to add a 2nd NYC show?" "Not going to happen" they always responded. Well, from one point of view they were right. It still didn't get added to the tour they announced almost four months ago. That's the same tour that hit Matador 21 and includes a single, sold out, November 7th NYC show at Terminal 5 (which also happens to be the final date of the tour).

However, a 2nd NYC show has been added! And it takes place almost 2 months later, December 31st, 2010 to be exact, at Irving Plaza ($72 ADV; $75 DOS, Tickets on sale Sat, Nov 6 @ 10AM).

"Anyone who walked into the popular casino during the three-day venture witnessed a culture shock like no other as hundreds of well-established, middle-aged rockers filled the building to see label legends Sonic Youth, Pavement, Belle and Sebastian, Guided by Voices and more. Performing inside the small and intimate Pearl, most of the bands were playing in Vegas for the first time.

"It has run smoothly but with a lot of help from the staff and all the people that are working for us," said founder of Matador Records, Chris Lombardi. "It's come together. We were very conscious of all the potential snafus that could arise and so far it's been fun."

Potential snafus were rife but any real problems were kept to a minimum during the first two days, besides Pavement's performance on Friday. Having paved the way for some of the most well-known artists of our generation, (think Weezer and Ben Kweller), the '90s rockers had continuous difficulties with their sound that caused problems both onstage and offstage for the band.

But that didn't seem to faze the crowd, which was made up of fans from all over the world, all who were more than ecstatic to see their favorite Matador artists. The festival went so well, actually, that it's kind of surprising." [The Rebel Yell]

While NYers were fast asleep and trying to stay warm at 5AM, Matador 21 was officially coming to a close in the Las Vegas desert early Monday morning (10/4) with a two hour set from Guided By Voices. Over the course of a full-set and two encores, both Hamish Kilgour (The Clean) and Matt Sweeney (Chavez) made unscheduled appearances with GBV (as a stage-diver/crowdsurfers) as the band tore through classics like "A Salty Salute", "Tractor Rape Chain", "I Am A Scientist", and around 30+ (!) others.

The label's 21st anniversary party kicked off on Friday with sets from Pavement and Sonic Youth (who played the Hollywood Bowl in LA) along with Chavez, Fucked Up, Guitar Wolf (whose flights were delayed, forcing a late Friday night performance), and Harlem. Saturday featured a headlining set from Belle & Sebastian (who recently played Williamsburg Waterfront), in addition to Spoon, Superchunk, Cat Power, Perfume Genius, Come, Esben & the Witch, Cold Cave, and Girls. Collaborations seemed to be the order of the day: Yo La Tengo hopped on stage with The Clean, Hamish returned the favor, Ted Leo joined Liz Phair...

While fan favorites like "I Am A Scientist" and "Hot Freaks!" took on a dependable chug, the energy of the performance--and bracing renditions of "Matter Eater Lad" and "Quality Of Armor"--belied the band members' advancing years. As Pollard kicked and microphone-whipped his way back to "barroom Roger Daltrey" status, Mitchell pulled some crouching spin moves out of the Headbangers Ball reruns. -[AV Club]

Matador's Gerard Cosloy: We will be announcing, I would say at a minimum, three more bands. I would say they are not necessarily going to be the biggest bands in label history. They're gonna be bands tied more to the label's old days. Actually, in one case, someone very, very new as well. They're not gonna be headliners, let's put it that way

So no Boards of Canada, I assume?

That's correct, yes.

A lot of people are asking about Mogwai.

No, they have other stuff they're doing overseas at that time, which is unfortunate. We would have loved to have had them be part of this.

And Interpol has dates in Europe.

Yeah, that's correct.

Mission of Burma is also a no-go, correct?

Yeah, we did ask Burma and Roger [Miller] unfortunately has Alloy Orchestra commitments that weekend.

Rolling Stone reported Liz Phair as confirmed ...

Yeah, that I will neither confirm nor deny (laughs).

How tough was it getting Guided By Voices to reunite, especially with that lineup?

We just kept asking. We just kept asking. And I think ultimately Bob decided it would be fun.

Ticketsare now were on AmEx presale (sold out) for the Guided by Voices show at Terminal 5. General sale start Friday at noon. The Philly show, happening one night earlier, is sold out.

All dates on the upcoming Guided by Voices tour will feature the "classic lineup" of the band. That means no Doug Gillard who you can catch instead, as Bill pointed out, at Bruar Falls on July 23rd. The Brooklyn show is his only upcoming date before he goes to Germany. His only scheduled show after he gets back happens at the Rock Shop on August 26th. That show is with The Norfolk Downs and Bill Goffrier (of Big Dipper & The Embarrassment). All Doug dates and a live video below...

Over a month after they play the sold out Matador Festival in Las Vegas, the reunited classic lineup of Guided by Voices will end a tour with a show at Terminal 5. The November 7th NYC date will be opened by Blitzen Trapper and tickets go on sale July 23rd at noon.

And it ends up the tour will actually be kicked off on September 30th at East Side Drive in Austin (two nights before they play the Matador fest). All dates are being opened by either Times New Viking or Blitzen Trapper. On November 4th, GbV will make an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show. All dates and on-sale times, below...

October 12th at First Avenue in Minneapolis (with Times New Viking), October 16th at Outland on Liberty in Columbus, OH, November 5th at Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA, and November 6th at the Trocadero Philadelphia, PA. That's a list of Guided by Voices dates already on Ticketmaster. I wonder where they'll play on November 7th.
UPDATE:The entire tour has been announced.

The cost of the show starts at $199 for a three-night pass plus an additional $99 per night to stay at the Palms. You can have up to 4 people in one room and the option to purchase up to 4 tickets. After the initial swathe of tickets is sold out, the cost of the show goes up to $225 for a three night pass. You must buy hotel rooms with these tickets - sorry if that seems extreme, but it's how we were able to make this work economically with this lineup of bands in an intimate venue. We negotiated this rate for you and it's a good one. There will be all-night events going on at Palms, and the concept is for a familial event with label staff, artists and fans all mingling and staying at the same site.

VIP tickets are available for $399. These tickets (21+ only) will get you:

- Reserved Seating at the Pearl (AT THE FRONT)
- Access to Opening Party on Friday with open bar with staff and bands
- Priority access into afterparty shows
- Priority access into sky villa parties
- More TBA

For Las Vegas residents, there will be 100 tickets available for $199 at the two Zia Records locations in Las Vegas, for locals. These do not require purchase of hotel rooms. Tickets will be awarded via lottery at both locations, so please, don't attempt to camp out at either store early that morning or the night before.

In response to demand, we are also offering a limited number of a la carte passes for $250 for those who choose not to stay at the Palms. These will be available Friday, July 9th with a 2 ticket limit via the Ticketfly site only.

Once the a la carte passes and the local tickets at Zia are sold out, ALL TICKETS WILL REQUIRE THE PURCHASE OF A HOTEL ROOM.

2.) Will there be an installment plan to buy tickets?

Yes. Details will be available on the Ticketfly site. (The installment plan does not apply to the Zia tickets.)

3.) Can I purchase multiple hotel rooms at the time I purchase the tickets?

Yes.

4.) Can I purchase a ticket without a hotel room if I'm staying in someone else's room?

Matador's 21st birthday fest will be happening in Las Vegas October 1st-3rd. For it, they've pulled the cream of the indie-rock crop. Previously speculated headlinersBelle & Sebastian and Pavement will be there - on top of that, Guided By Voices will be reuniting to play, "in the band's "classic '93-'96 lineup!" The most recent show for GBV was New Year's Eve 2004/05.

Gramercy Arms is an ever (r)evolving collective band project of New York-based artists.

On [their new self-titled] record, Gramercy Arms comprises members of Guided By Voices, Luna, Joan as Police Woman, Dead Air and The Dambuilders, along with comic Sarah Silverman, [The] album is a summery blast of gorgeous power pop, heartfelt tales of love and loss and the city they call their home...

You can ownload the track Sarah Silverman contributed to, "Looking at the Sun", above along with a new Christmas song Gramercy Arms recorded with Mascott (which you may have heard on on the TV show Grey's Anatomy).